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The Power of Giving: How Giving Back Enriches Us All

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The authors of The Power of Giving walk the talk and in so doing their message resonates with clarity and conviction: if you make the decision to live a life of giving, you'll be rewarded in many ways... greater happiness, new and deeper relationships, better health, better feeling about yourself, and many other ways.

I bought this book when it was first released and read it in one sitting. It's filled with great stories that carried me from idea to idea, and, as the cliché goes, "I just couldn't put it down".

After I'd done, I spent days thinking about the many ways in which I could be a better giver. And I started down my Power of Giving path by actually buying three more copies and sending then to my mom, my sister and my best friend.

It's been over a year since I bought and read The Power of Giving but the key message that "the more you give, the more you receive" has been proven time and time again in my own experience, since I started to pay attention to both what I can give with intention and what the world is giving back to me.

I've thought of their lessons (which by the way, are shared in a fun, sometimes humorous, but never earnest way) when my clients ask for more than what they're paying me for... and the results have been only positive for my business.

I've applied the wisdom shared by Jamal and McKinnon in the way I deal with my ex-husband and my new partner's ex-wife - and the results are clearly more productive than my previous way of handling difficult situations with these two people!

And yes, I have applied The Power of Giving to my annual giving, having made two donations that prior to reading the book I never would have considered. Why? Because I didn't feel I could afford that much money (both were for $500 and only one generated a tax receipt). But with the spirit of The Power of Giving in my mind, I took the leap of faith and made the donations. And you know what? At year end I didn't miss the $1,000. But I feel fantastic about the great work that my money has helped accomplish in a cancer care facility and in a rural village where women are now running micro-businesses to help support their families.

I highly recommend this book. It's such a small investment to make and the returns are incalculable.

The "Power of Giving", so beautifully and profoundly written, forces one to ask fundamental questions about our sense of purpose in this increasingly complex world. The gentle messages of love, compassion and giving are found on every page of this book. We read about real life situations that address the most basic elements of our humanity--- with all it's strengths and all it's vulnerabilities.

"The Power of Giving" is a spiritual awakening, but it is also a sensible and practical guide to the many possibilites and methods of giving. Azim and Harvey teach us that "giving" is more about loving than anything else. Giving inspires us to get outside of ourselves and to have an increased awareness of "the other". The authors encourage us to give what we can whether it be time, money, acts of kindness or gentle touches. Thankyou Harvey and Azim for giving us your book.

"When you read this book, you find yourself pausing to remember holy pieces of yourself and a human relationship with divinity. I found the book delightfully rich which encourages us to seek the deeper meaning that make up a human life. It is a powerful book that radiates compassion and a willingness to take the risk of uncovering one's humanness"
Naz Remtulla

This book is both inspirational and practical! I grew up listening to the motto "the more you give, the more you have" but despite this being ingrained in me from an early age, the act of giving can sometimes be a struggle. This book gives you options on how you can give (it doesn't have to be money) and reminds you of the benefits of giving (which are more vast than the obvious ones that come to mind). The anecdotes are touching and set the mood for wanting to give! Whether you are an individual (young or old) or an organization (big or small), this book is both a useful and pleasurable read and will cultivate your spirit of giving. It can even serve as a great gift as a gesture of your gratitude to someone who has given something to you! Can you tell I've read the book!?! ... and I plan to read it a few more times!

The most informative and thought provoking book I have ever encountered. The Power of Giving is an inspirational book and an excellent teacher on the topic of giving and generosity. This book has really touched my heart and ignited the flame to do better than ever before in my efforts to collect pledges for The World Partnership Walk which I have been participating over the past 24 years to help the ultra poor in the under developed world. This highly informative book inspires readers to make changes that will create a win-win situation for themselves, their families, and communities at large. The Power of Giving helps mankind for personal empowerment and making our world a better place to live.

What better antidote to toxic news about Wall Street greed and corruption than to read one story after another of people helping one another. This book is not about the how of giving, but about the why of it all. It wonderfully delivers on the promise of its (two!) subtitles: "How giving back enriches us all - Creating abundance in your home, at work, and in your community."

Creating abundance, for example, can mean joining a babysitting co-op, thereby affording busy parents a bit of time for themselves. Though elsewhere in the book it's evident that the authors, professional fundraisers Jamal and McKinnon, work with very high-income donors indeed, this book is for EveryCitizen. The authors intersperse funny personal stories from their own lives with poignant vignettes, quotes of wisdom from the ancients, helpful web links, and so forth.

One can feel sick at heart and powerless to do anything effective about huge disasters like hurricanes, or gang violence, or homelessness in a rich country - or even about "smaller" problems in the neighbourhood. American Trappist poet and social activist Thomas Merton captured this malaise well: "To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to the violence of our times."

Jamal and McKinnon have spectacularly not "succumbed to the violence of our times."

Each page seems to have been written with love and laughter. Even though all my life I've donated time and money to various causes; have worked as a fundraiser for non-profits; and know the many benefits of giving, I love this book because it's an invitation to everyone - not just the fundraisers - to experience the happiness and the health we create - and the meaningful relationships we build - when reach out to others.

The subtle design of the book helps you slow down a bit, taking pleasure in the relaxing act of turning the well-printed pages... of considering how the next idea might play out in one's own circle of friends.

This immensely compassionate book could make an eye-opening and inviting gift for anyone in your life - including the friend who "has everything."

What a fabulous book and written at the perfect time. Azim and Harvey use lots of anecdotal stories to supplement their philosophy which is a delightful support to all of us big hearted people. i loved this book so much I bought a dozen of them to give out. I'm hoping we can create the power of giving as a community value in our town and in our state. Thank you for writing this book!!!!

Congrads and special thanks to Azim and Harvey for giving us a deeper understanding and reminding how powerful GIVING and sharing is. The Power of Giving has helped me solidly in 2 areas:

1) It gives a wider definition of giving and envisioned me for learning to give beyond money. When I think of all the opportunities of giving I have throughout my daily life, I started living more fullfiling days. There are so many opportunities everyday for giving a smile, a compliment, valuable knowledge...Giving and sharing, thus serving, helping each other is part of purpose. It's great to be reminded this and shown the way.

2) I have read so many books on personal development, self-help etc. Of course it is vital to know what you want in life, learning to manage your thoughts, thinking positive, keeping a high motivation etc. But very few books talks about the actual POWER of giving. Giving truely creates a POWER within, it makes you feel more abundant, more connected, definetly much better.

This book is very powerful and could change the world if it helps people to unleash their giving potential. It is a pleasure to read and motivates me to give more and in new and different ways. A sure winner! I will be giving this book to my friends and family.

"The Power of Giving -- How Giving Back Enriches Us All," written by Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon is a highly applicable manual discussing an important human instinct.

This book offers expert knowledge, practical advice and spiritual insight applicable at any institution level, be it grassroots or boardroom, charting a working plan to express the purpose behind giving, not simply the act (of giving).

Poverty and disparity, being paradigms of separation in the most profound sense, are teachable moments to explore and then restore balance to human's most vital instinct, that the power of giving, which is realized through sharing experiences, is our most valued resource.